stack up

How do they...

Stack up means to accumulate or compare.

Things stack up when they pile or add together: The bills are stacking up.

When you ask how something stacks up, you're asking how it compares: How does this restaurant stack up against the competition?

In military or police contexts, to stack up is to form a tight line outside a door before entry.

arrange

pile

Accumulated mass of objects

heapJumbled collection of items
tierHorizontal structural layer
layerSingle thickness of material

arrange · organize · queue · line up · order · sequence · sort · align · group · rank

compare

measure up

Meet required standards

rankPosition in hierarchy
match upPair corresponding items
hold upDelay or armed robbery

compare · benchmark · rate · stand up against · compete · fare · perform · size up · rival · equal

accumulate

pile up

Accumulate in quantity

build upGrow by increments
amassCollect in quantity
stockpileAccumulated reserve supply

heap · gather · collect · hoard · accrue · aggregate · mount up · add up · compile · store

Categories

heap onpile on, load up, pack on, add on, throw on
military tacticstactics, flanking, maneuver, ambush, battle formations
growthgrowth, grow, growing, growth rate, increase
comparison verbscompare, contrast, differentiate, distinguish, juxtapose

Opposites

accumulation/arrangement

stack upscatter

Distribute in random directions

disperse · spread out · distribute · deplete · disassemble

comparison/measurement

stack upfall short

Fail to reach standard

pale in comparison · come up short

Family

stack, stacks, stacked, haystack, stacking, smokestack, stackable, unstacked, stacker

Familiarity: Top 50,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G